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Logan stood outside Shuttleworth’s, tightly gripping a screwdriver in his hand.
It was around midday, nobody was here at that time. Most likely off at some other funeral. As for the rest of the street, none of them seemed to be paying attention to the building, giving him the opportunity to just… sneak in if he desired. Which he did.
He had to see him.
He needed to see Mason.
Technically, Logan should have been doing the funeral arrangements. However, he was wanted for murder and quite frankly he didn’t want to do his little brother’s funeral anyway. But… he had to see the lad’s body one last time. He couldn’t pinpoint why, it just felt like the right thing to do even if he was the one to kill him. With only his fingers, Logan could count the number of times he had done the right thing in his life. This nagged at him and it couldn’t be any worse than what he’d already done in the past.
Checking both directions, he waited until there were less people. How nobody saw him standing here in the first place was beyond him but he knew for sure they’d take notice when breaking and entering… He hid out around the sides, making sure he wouldn’t be seen even once everyone had gone. When the coast was clear, he lifted his screwdriver and tampered with the locks on the doors.
It took a minute, but he got one lock broken off and that was good enough for him.
He stepped into the funeral parlor, closing the door behind him.
Dark.
Silent.
Cold.
With a silent gulp, he went through another door and further into the building, not sure of where Mason’s body would be. Logan didn’t want to spend too much time here nor did he want to cause too much of a disturbance to the place, he already busted one of the locks. That was enough damage.
At one side of the room were a few smaller, secluded rooms. He moved closer to them, taking notice of the signs and clipboards hung on the wall. However, they wouldn't be needed as there was only one casket and one written paper among it.
“Mason Radcliffe
2008 - 2025”
Logan entered, looking at the casket containing his brother’s body. For a moment, he stared at it. Almost as if to doubt himself that Mason’s body was in there. He didn’t need to identify him in hospital or anything of the sorts. In doing so would have gotten him arrested either way.
So, this was the first and last time he’d see his brother’s body.
Reaching out a trembling hand, he hesitated as his fingers made contact with the cold, metal casket. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. What did he need to see Mason’s body for in the first place?
Logan sighed, shaking his head as he placed both hands onto the casket and lifted the lid. Although darkness filled the room, there was enough light to allow Logan to look inside.
Laying there was Mason.
His face was still. Like he was just… sleeping. The injuries he sustained were gone now, the gash on his forehead having been cleaned and delicately coated with wax and makeup. The imperfections of the fight aftermath were covered now.
Mason looked like he was never attacked in the first place.
Logan stood in silence, taking in the sight of his deceased youngest brother. His brain was blanking.
Should he say something?
Apologize?
Make his peace?
Say goodbye?
What was he even thinking!? Talking to a corpse seemed so… pathetic. But he came here for a reason, something enticed him to see Mason one last time. Matty was arrested before the idea could even come to fruition. Before any sort of plan for Mason’s funeral was decided. Therefore Logan couldn’t offer Matty the chance to see Mason. Although he had a feeling, even if Matty was still with him, Logan was sure he would think it was stupid. Hell, prior to Mason’s death, Logan would have thought this was a dumb thing to do.
But here he was, alone with his youngest brother’s body. Nobody would know unless he told them. So, he moved in closer and stared down at Mason’s face. He opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. Eventually, the words came to him.
“You know… Maybe if your little mate hadn’t brought that knife, you’d still be here. Or in Germany.” He whispered, his tone neutral. “But I never meant to kill you, Mason. Only meant to scare you for being a grass.”
His voice cracked.
Logan swallowed the lump forming in his throat, he couldn’t remember the last time he cried and he didn’t have any plans to now. None of the Radcliffe siblings had been treated well nor did they treat each other any better. At least Mason made the attempt to turn his life around and then… Logan and Matty took that from him. Took his life from him entirely.
It was an accident though.
If Dylan hadn’t brought that knife, Mason would still be here. Well, he’d be in Germany. But nonetheless, he’d still be alive. If Logan hadn’t taken that knife however…
It took everything in him not to slam the casket shut. It was his and Matty’s fault no matter what and going back wasn’t an option. What was done was done. Mason died, Matty got arrested, and Logan was soon to be in custody too. All three siblings were taken down one way or another in such a short amount of time.
“I’m sorry.”
Logan closed the casket, being careful not to let the lid fall from his grip. After that, he stepped out of the small viewing room and back into the main area.
The front doors opened before closing again, accompanied by footsteps. Someone entered the building. They’d have to go through another door before they entered the actual parlor; meaning Logan had more than enough time to hide.
Swiftly, he crouched behind a chair, gripping his screwdriver tight. It wasn’t the best weapon but it’d do for intimidation purposes. At this point, it didn’t matter what he did, he had nothing to lose now. Whoever entered wasn’t gonna stop him from leaving, he had the right to see his brother’s body before both of them were to be sent away.
The footsteps crept closer through the parlor, clearly the person entering knew there was someone hiding out inside. Logan scowled but he wasn’t worried.
“Is anyone here?” David Platt called out.